Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-04-19
SACRAMENTANS IN SCOTLAND.
A Visit to Edinburgh and Historic Points
Bright Women and Dull Men.
EDINBURGH, March 10. 1887.

EDINBURGH, March 10, 1887.
EDS. RECORD UNION: We arrived kere a
week ago, and until yesterday l was so
busy that | was unable to visit the city.
Taking carriage we drove all over this
magnificent city. 1t reminds me more OF
London than any other English city that
1 have seen. Everything is built in the
same substantial manner. 1t is, however,
more picturesque. The center of the city
is, as you are aware, built on a hill, and
these of my readers who are familiar with
Miss Porter's novel. The Bruce will
remember that the character of Edward
climbed this hill with force of Scots at
night and captured it from the British.
Those were wonderful people, those ances-
tors of ours, who climbed perpendicular
ascents. 1t will be remembered, too, that
our ancestors in those Large days. were
in the habit of knocking down bullocks
with their elenched fists. Unless they
were vastly larger than their puny descend
ants, l suspect that the bullocks were al
ways selected before hand, and that they
were in such state of i'll health that they
had to be propped up before our ancestors
knocked them down. "Ouida," believe,
makes the modern Scotchman knock down
an OK with his fist. She has evidently
gotten the giants that we read about mixed
up with the pigmies that we see.
We drove to Arthur's Seat, which on be-
ing approached has the appearance of a
lion. From this point a splendid view of
the Forth of Firth is obtained. 1t is a
broad sheet of water, apparently four miles
in breadth. We next visited Hollywood
Palace. 1t was founded by James ". in
1901. In the northwestern towers Queen
Mary's apartments are situated. 1t will be
remembered that Darnley had apartments
in this palace. The apartments of the
lovely and ill-starred Scottish Queen are on
the third floor of James VS. tower. The
castle is made of heavy stone blocks and
looks as if it would last forever. Bare
legged Scotchmen, with muskets at % carry
arms" still pace back and forth in the freez-
ing wind in front of the building.
The Burns monument was of course also
visited, as well as the beautiful Queens Park,
the Universities, and about everything else
of interest in this wonderful city. l am
constantly being admonished of the truth
OF the old saying, that the world is small
TO those who travel. | meet daily people
acquainted with my friends in the United
States. | met yesterday an English gentle
man who had lived in San Francisco twenty
years.
one OF the first things which impresses
itself on stranger in England is the fact
that the country is run by women. From
the Queen down, they head every house
hold In the hotels the men sit by the fire
and drink, and the women carry coal to
the rooms, make fires, run errands and
perform labor of any and every kind. If
you wish for information it is to be OBJ
tanned from women, as the men will usu-
ally misinform you. The men are dull and
the women are bright. The women in the
hotels can tell you when a train leaves,
but the man at the station who sells tick
cts, or the porter who attends to the bag.
gage will misinform you as often as he
will furnish correct information. This
surprised me greatly at irst-the fact that
the railroad employees did not know when
all of their trains started One class OF
men are always wide awake-the men who
drive omnibuses in London and the cal
drivers in Scotland. Most OF them have
the history of their respective cities al
their tongues end. ADAIR WICKER.